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Concrete Industry Management Program Holds Successful Auction at World of Concrete

(Las Vegas, Nev. – Feb. 20, 2013) – The National Steering Committee (NSC) for the Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program – a business intensive program that awards students with a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in Concrete Industry Management – raised more than $615,000 in gross revenue at its seventh annual auction, held in conjunction with the World of Concrete on Wednesday, Feb. 6.

"The NSC of the Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program is pleased to report that the 2013 World of Concrete Auction equaled our highest gross proceeds total ever,” commented Mike Philipps, CIM Auction Committee Chairman. “This is a great example of the high value the concrete industry places on the CIM program. We had a record number of donated items and attendees at the Auction that helped make this year’s event a huge success."

The signature item this year was a Mack Granite concrete truck chassis with a McNeilus 11-cubic-yard concrete mixer donated by Mack Trucks, Inc. and McNeilus Co., a Division of Oshkosh Truck. The winning bidder of the mixer truck was Tim Ashley of Clovis Concrete in Clovis, New Mexico.

“We are very pleased with how everyone stepped up to donate and bid on the great auction items and support the CIM program,” continued Philipps. “The money raised will benefit the NSC and support the current CIM program as well as help fund future program expansion.”

“We were fortunate to have the incredible support of the World of Concrete (WOC) Show Management, Hanley Wood Publications and Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers,” said CIM Marketing Committee Chairman Brian Gallagher. “We thank the many companies such as McNeilus Companies, Inc., Mack Trucks, Inc., Somero Enterprises, and the numerous companies that donated items to the Auction to make it a complete success.”

Receiving tremendous support from the concrete industry, the CIM program was the first of its kind in United States – a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in Concrete Industry Management. The need for such a program was recognized in 1994 and was put into action by the concrete industry. The end-result was a partnership between the concrete industry and Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) to develop the CIM program, implementing it with its first two students in 1996. Available at MTSU, California State University, Chico, Texas State University and the New Jersey Institute of Technology, the program has been successful for both the industry and the graduates.

The goal of the program is to produce broadly educated, articulate graduates grounded in basic construction management, who are knowledgeable of concrete technology and techniques and are able to manage people and systems as well as promote products or services related to the concrete industry. It entails a broad range of courses, from English and history to science and mathematics. A series of required business courses such as finance, marketing, management and business law are also taken throughout the length of the program.

The concrete-specific courses teach the fundamentals of concrete, properties and testing, concrete construction and more. All of these courses provide much more than what is simply in the text – they emphasize problem solving, quality assurance and customer satisfaction. They utilize practical case studies and an internship to make sure the student obtains real-world experience essential to starting a successful career. Additional opportunities for growth include on-campus socials and other organized events providing industry networking and professional development. To learn more about the program, visit www.concretedegree.com.

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